Music to My Ears
by Asagi Tsuki
Summary: "When should I come over to serenade you?"


**Music to My Ears**

By: Asagi Tsuki

Pairing: Harry/Draco

Summary: "When should I come over to serenade you?"

Warning: OOCness (some characters might be OOC). Also, pardon my lack of language diversity, but English isn't my first language and I'm really not used to British English. I'm currently in Australia, but still none the wiser in Oz slang. Another warning, I read the books and watched the film (although only until Order of Phoenix. I didn't read or watch HBP and DH), but I have to be honest, I'm starting to forget the characters -_-;;; not all, obviously, so I won't be including those I don't really remember well

Disclaimer: obviously, Harry Potter is not written by me. If it were, it would be so lame, that this fandom would be non-existent. And I would be off writing another book instead of fanfics

A/N: I've been watching lots of people covering various game and movie theme songs with piano and violin, and I was watching Jarrod Radnich's videos on Youtube when this idea struck me. I do play both music instruments (piano and violin), but am not really good at them. I'm decent at piano, but not so good at violin.

Also, this is a non-magic AU :D there's supposed to be a twist in this story. Tell me if you expect it or not.

This is written in a limited third person PoV. I thought of writing a first person PoV, but it didn't work out, so I changed it.

And as some sort of justification, since this is a peaceful world, I don't feel there's a need for Draco to be a right git. He has nothing to be bragged about or anything that is innately his that is better than others (like blood status), really, so I thought he'd be a decent person. Somewhat :D

Anyway, enjoy~

**The Magic of Music**

A young man with disheveled black hair stood in front of a moderately-sized building, four floors, hundred meter squares area each floor. It was a modern building, with glass doors and glass walls facing outside, and he silently wondered if he had gotten the right one.

After all, he always thought that musicians tended to like ancient buildings.

"Hello," a voice to his left greeted him and he nearly jumped up in surprise. He whirled around and his breath caught in his throat when his eyes fell upon the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The person (man? Woman? Their voice was smooth and airy, and he had trouble identifying the gender of this person from their voice alone) had bright grey eyes, shiny blond locks that went slightly past the shoulders and was tied into a low ponytail, and a charming smile that went up to their eyes in amusement at his reaction.

"Ah... uh... hello," the black-haired man greeted back nervously, running his hand through the black locks to calm his nerves. He hated being surprised by anyone.

"Can I help you?" the person asked again. "You've been standing there for quite some time now. Are you looking for someone?"

"Oh, yes," the man quickly took the offer up. "Is this really the Chamber Symphony's main office?"

The person chuckled. "I thought that would be obvious," he said, pointing to the glass wall. Upon closer inspection, the writing "Chamber Symphony" was written on it with faint black letters. "Yes, you've come to the right place. Are you looking for someone?"

"I'm Harry Potter," the black-haired man introduced himself. "I am here to audition."

"Oh," the person said. "Hello there, Mr. Potter. My name is Draco Malfoy and I work here. What instrument do you play?"

"I play the piano," Harry replied.

"Have you chosen a piece you would be playing?" Draco asked again.

"Yes, I have. I'll be playing Aerith's Theme," Harry said, then flushed slightly at Draco's blank look. "Sorry. It's just that... I'm an avid game music musician. I like their songs."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't quite catch the title. What was it again?" Draco asked.

"Aerith's Theme from Final Fantasy VII," Harry repeated, slower and louder this time.

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "Do you have the sheet music?"

"No," Harry said as he bit his lower lip, wondering if he had screwed up by not bringing one.

Draco noticed his anxiety and smiled at him. "Hey, don't worry. I was just asking," he said, patting Harry's arm. "I usually am the one appointed to audition people, but I have to see a sheet music for that. I'll just pass you on to Blaise then. Come on."

Harry nodded and followed the slightly shorter man into the building. He looked around, noticing that the first floor was mostly offices and rooms for files. There was a room at the back that looked like a storage, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed a storage. Many musical instruments were stored there.

"This place looks nice," Harry commented, and glanced at Draco. However, the man didn't reply—he didn't even react, much to Harry's dismay. He followed the man up the stairs, and when Draco turned around to continue up the flight of stairs, he noticed Harry's fallen face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pausing in his steps. "I thought you'd be excited."

"Oh, oh, yes I am," Harry said with a lopsided grin and Draco still looked unconvinced. "Really, I am. It's just that... well..."

Draco smiled at him, the same smile he had given him earlier, and Harry found himself liking that smile more and more. "Are you nervous?" he asked. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine."

Harry shot back a smile, and followed Draco up to the fourth floor. There was a big auditorium, and two smaller practice rooms to the side. He led Harry to the entrance of the auditorium where a lone grand piano sat. There were rows of chairs up to the back, and there were balcony seats as well. Harry's jaw dropped open. He didn't think there was a room this big inside this building.

"Please wait here. I'll go call Blaise," Draco said as he excused himself, taking out his cell phone. "Blaise? There's someone wanting to audition without a music sheet. Can you come up to the auditorium?"

He flipped the phone shut without waiting for a reply and Harry glanced curiously at him, while Draco only looked back at him and smiled.

"He'll be here in a minute," Draco said and Harry only nodded.

They waited in silence for about two minutes before the door to the auditorium swung open and a dark-skinned man dressed smartly in a navy blue suit walked in. He nodded curtly at Harry and walked over to Draco who was still looking at Harry. The man patted Draco's shoulder lightly, and Draco turned around quickly.

"Hey," Draco smiled as he leaned up to give Blaise a hug. "This is Harry Potter. He's trying to audition for a position in our orchestra."

"Hello," the man greeted as he turned to Harry and walked over to him. "My name is Blaise Zabini. I was the pianist of this orchestra for a couple of years, but now I'm the creative director, also a conductor sometimes."

"Hello, Mr. Zabini," Harry greeted as he got up and shook Blaise's hand.

"Alright, I'll leave you two be," Draco announced as he stood up. "I hope I'll see you around, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled and nodded at him.

"So, what piece are we playing today?" Blaise asked.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry sighed as he walked out of the washroom. The audition had gone quite well, and he was very glad he hadn't pressed a wrong key even once. Blaise had given him his name card after having Harry fill out an application form, and said he would give him a call in two weeks time with the announcement.

As he was approaching the staircase to go down, he paused when he heard music coming out from one of the practice rooms. He knew that tune. It was a soundtrack from a game he knew long time ago—Dream on the Shore Nearing Another World from Chrono Cross. A beautiful piece for piano and violin, although he only heard the violin part.

He peeked into the room and saw Draco standing in the middle, his eyes closed and his expression worry-free. He was playing a violin like an expert, and Harry blinked. He had thought Draco was a pianist from what he said earlier.

Slowly and quietly, he opened the door and slid inside silently, closing the door behind him. He sat down on one of the chairs and closed his eyes, listening to him play. It didn't take long for Draco to finish playing the piece, and when he did, he lowered his violin with a sigh, putting it back into the case.

"You play really well," Harry spoke up, watching as the blond shut his violin case. He frowned at the lack of response again, and stood up, walking closer to the blond. "Hey."

Draco turned around towards the door at the moment, and shouted in surprise when he saw Harry right in front of him, nearly falling down if not for Harry who quickly shot his hand out to steady the smaller man.

"What are you doing?" Draco demanded as he frowned. "Trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I'm sorry," Harry said, blinking in confusion.

"When did you get in?" Draco asked.

"While you were playing," Harry answered easily. "I thought you heard me earlier. I said you play really well."

"Oh," Draco said. "Well, yes, I've been playing the violin before I started playing the piano."

"Then why aren't you also in charge of auditioning the violinists?"

Draco chuckled. "Apparently, they're afraid I would be biased. After all, I'm one of the solo violinists in this orchestra."

"Oh," Harry said, blinking stupidly. "No wonder you play really well."

Draco beamed at the compliment. "Well, I have to get going now. I'll see you around, Mr. Potter," he said, turning to get his case and walking towards the door.

"You can call me Harry," Harry called before Draco was out of the room, but if he had heard what Harry said, he showed no sign of it. Harry chewed his bottom lip, and sighed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Two and a half weeks later, Harry was back in the Chamber Symphony main office. Blaise had called him and told him he was accepted as a pianist in the orchestra, although he wouldn't be the main pianist yet. He walked into the auditorium where Blaise was, and noticed that there was someone auditioning to be a pianist on the stage. Draco was standing closely behind the man, watching the sheet music and his hands closely.

"Mr. Zabini," Harry greeted as he approached the humming man.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Potter," Blaise greeted as he smiled pleasantly at him. "Come sit down. Let's talk about the contract and all before Draco finish, shall we?"

Harry glanced at the blond man and nodded. "Why is he looking that closely?"

Blaise chuckled. "It's a quirk of his, perhaps. He doesn't have to stand that closely, I know, but he wants to. I can't say anything against him."

Harry nodded, although not quite satisfied with the answer. They then talked about his contract with the orchestra, how much he would be paid, how he would be contacted if he was to play at one of their events, and others.

"Right, so your first performance is in two months time, and it's a duet with none other than Draco himself," Blaise said. "We'll send you the song list via e-mail. You'll have to arrange your practice schedule yourself with him."

"Alright," Harry said, and turned around as Draco walked over to them, apparently finished with judging the aspiring pianist's performance. He watched as the man walked out of the auditorium with a slight slouch and felt sorry for him.

Slightly.

"Hey," Draco greeted as he smiled at Harry. "Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Potter. So it seems you are part of our orchestra now."

"You can call me Harry," Harry said, and mentally slapped himself for saying that. He silently hoped he wouldn't seem desperate to ask again after the last time.

However, instead of the expected refusal, Draco's smile widened instead. "Okay then, Harry. You can call me Draco too."

Blaise chuckled, tapping Draco's hand to get his attention. "I told him you'll be playing together in a small recital two months from now."

"Oh," Draco said. "Okay. Are the details ready now?"

"No, but I'll send it to you soon," Blaise promised. "I guess I'll leave you two to discuss it further now. Pick the dress code, exchange phone numbers and whatever."

Draco laughed. "Yessir."

Blaise grinned at him and left the auditorium.

The two talked for a while about the arrangement for the upcoming recital, and they decided that Draco would be the one counting the beats. They also exchanged phone numbers, but Draco had told him to not call him, only text him, and he apologized beforehand if he ever replied late.

Harry waved it off as just some sort of quirk of Draco's. He had, after all, not bothered to wait for a reply when he called Blaise that time.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Harry," Draco called. "Do you have perfect pitch?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry answered. "I usually play music by ear."

He wondered if the flitting look of envy was only his imagination.

"Could you listen and tell me if there's anything wrong with my violin?" Draco asked.

They had met up for a practice after the song list was sent to them. It was mostly a collection of classical music. He was hoping for something more contemporary, but he wasn't protesting.

"Sure," Harry agreed, and Draco started playing scales with his violin.

"The third string is off by half a key."

Draco nodded, lowered his violin, fiddled with the smaller screws at the bottom, near the bridge, and plucked the string. "Is that better?"

"Try playing the scale with it."

He did, and Harry told him it was okay. Later when he was walking out of the building, he came across Blaise who told him that Draco might be busy in the next week. He started taking up composing since last year, and had spent more and more time in front of sheets of paper where he scribbled down the notes.

"He has perfect pitch, so it's easy for him to write down the exact notes," Blaise had said, and Harry frowned in confusion.

"He does?" Harry asked curiously. "Then why did he ask my help to tune his violin? Is he trying to test me?"

Blaise stared at him blankly for a second. He then sighed heavily and shook his head. "Ask Draco."

The next time they met up, Harry had confronted Draco about the tuning. Draco had looked hurt at the accusation that he almost kicked himself with regret for saying such hurtful things to him.

"Harry," Draco started, and Harry could see he was very much nervous. He sighed, and stood up so he could at least be eye level with Harry. "I'm deaf."

A look of pure shock settled on his face as he gaped at the blond in front of him. "What—"

"I've been deaf for the last three years," Draco said, a small, sad smile on his face. "It was an accident. I am lucky that I'm still alive. My mother lost more than her hearing, so I shouldn't be complaining, really. Everyone in this place knows that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"But you can read lips?"

"Yeah."

"So that's why you never respond when I call you."

"I'm sorry," Draco said, his smile still there. "Yeah. I didn't know you called. You have to speak right to my face if you want me to know."

"I was a wreck for the first three months after the doctor told me what happened. Blaise was the one who helped me learn how to read lips, and encouraged me to keep playing. I started taking up composing because it's easier. I relied solely on my perfect pitch to know how each note sounded. I can't do the same with actual playing."

"I don't want you to stop," Harry said quickly, but smiled sheepishly at Draco's look of confusion. "I don't want you to stop," he repeated, slower. "Playing, I mean. You're really talented, and it's such a waste if you stop."

Draco smiled at him. "I never said I'm going to stop."

"Oh. I thought... you were talking as if it was such a burden to play," Harry pointed out.

"Never. Blaise was right. After I became deaf, playing my violin and occasionally a piano was the only thing that helps me remember how I used to be before the accident. I don't want to let it go, because it's the only reminder of who I was before," Draco explained. "I don't like changes."

"Have you thought of getting an implant or a hearing aid?"

"I have, but I'm not so sure."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid."

"I want you to."

"Why?"

"Because I want to serenade you," Harry replied with a cheeky grin and Draco flushed bright red.

"Why should I be sure that I want to listen to your voice?" Draco asked as he stuck his tongue out. "What guarantees that it's not horrible?"

"I'm just kidding," Harry said, and Draco looked slightly disappointed. "I mean, if you don't want to, I understand. But if you do, I really will."

"Will what?"

"Come to serenade you."

Harry grinned widely as Draco flushed bright red yet again, and made it his favorite personal pastime—making the blond blush, that is.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Six months later, Harry walked down the corridor of a hospital, looking for the nametag that had "Malfoy" written on it. When he found it, he opened the door without knocking and walked inside. He found Draco inside, sitting on his bed with his back to the door, and a small table with a tray of food in front of him. He was eating quietly as he stared out of the window.

"Draco?" Harry called softly, walking over to the blond until he stood right behind him. When he got no reply, he inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the slight burn of tears at the corner of his eyes. "Will you go out with me?"

He felt stupid. Really stupid. What was he trying to accomplish, confessing behind the back of someone who couldn't hear?

"Really, Potter, I thought you could do better than that."

Harry's eyes snapped open, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor. Draco turned around to look at him, and smiled.

"Why don't you say it to my face? Then maybe I'll answer that question for you."

Harry let out a shaky laugh as he sat on the bed beside Draco, and held onto the slighter man's shoulders tightly, but not too tight that it hurt. "Draco Malfoy," he started, "will you go out with me?"

"Say it again. I like your voice."

Harry laughed as he pulled the other man into a tight hug, whispering his name and sweet nothings into his ear. Draco was more than glad to sit quietly, listening to him talk.

"So..."

"Yeah?"

"When should I come over to serenade you?"

**End of Story**

I enjoyed writing this :D still hoping I could be a good musician one day if I put my mind to it enough xD but while I can't (since I don't have both with me currently) I'll just stick to writing.

And that's it :D hope you enjoyed it, even in the slightest. If you do, please leave a review, cause I'm a comment whore :P

Also, I'm actually working on a revised edition of this fic, although it's very much different from the original. I don't know when it will be up, though :P


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